“No one ever lost money in this world by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.” ~ H.L. Mencken; 1880-1956

It’s not that we’re stupid—it’s that we’re in love with alpha men getting all John Wayne on people. We care more about facial expressions, still, than moral character, patience, intelligence, an ability to listen and think ahead.

So that’s good news for President Obama—all he has to do is get angry for a week, work out, stand up straight, and rip Governor Romney’s lies to pieces—and he wins.

Here’s a cheat sheet, as it were:

Debate: Romney Told 27 Myths In 38 Minutes:

1) “[G]et us energy independent, North American energy independent. That creates about 4 million jobs”. Romney’s plan for “energy independence” actually relies heavily on a study that assumes the U.S. continues with fuel efficiency standards set by the Obama administration. For instance, he uses Citigroup research based off the assumption that “‘the United States will continue with strict fuel economy standards that will lower its oil demand.” Since he promises to undo the Obama administration’s new fuel efficiency standards, he would cut oil consumption savings of 2 million barrels per day by 2025.

2) “I don’t have a $5 trillion tax cut. I don’t have a tax cut of a scale that you’re talking about.” A Tax Policy Center analysis of Romney’s proposal for a 20 percent across-the-board tax cut in all federal income tax rates, eliminating the Alternative Minimum Tax, eliminating the estate tax and other tax reductions, would reduce federal revenue $480 billion in 2015. This amounts to $5 trillion over the decade.

3) “My view is that we ought to provide tax relief to people in the middle class. But I’m not going to reduce the share of taxes paid by high-income people.” If Romney hopes to provide tax relief to the middle class, then his $5 trillion tax cut would add to the deficit. There are not enough deductions in the tax code that primarily benefit rich people to make his math work.

4) “My — my number-one principal is, there will be no tax cut that adds to the deficit. I want to underline that: no tax cut that adds to the deficit.” As the Tax Policy Center concluded…

Hint: killing Big Bird and the rest of PBS was just about the one and only specific he said that wasn’t a generalization or an outright…yes, lie.

During the debate when he “debunked” Obama’s claimthat he was advocating a $5 trillion tax cut that couldn’t be paid for via the deduction eliminations without massively slamming the middle class, he was so convincing I absolutely would have believed him had I not bothered to read up on the claim.

A huge number of voters didn’t watch a single primary debate. They haven’t read anything about the race. They didn’t watch the party conventions. The only thing they watch is the first Presidential debate. And Romney acted so convincing, he is now in a statistical dead heat.

40793013 Responseshttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.elephantjournal.com%2F2012%2F10%2Fwho-cares-if-suddenly-seemingly-centrist-romney-lied-27-times-during-the-debate-he-looked-good%2FWho+Cares+If+Suddenly+Seemingly+Centrist+Romney+Lied+27+Times+During+The+Debate%3F+He+Looked+Good%21+2012-10-10+17%3A43%3A30Waylon+Lewishttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.elephantjournal.com%2F%3Fp%3D407930 to “Who Cares If Suddenly Seemingly Centrist Romney Lied 27 Times During The Debate? He Looked Good!”

Oh flip flop Mitt at it again…how is he not the laughing stock of the entire Republican party????..This is the reason after studying politics that I decided to change my career path, too much bullshit in politics period. Will there ever be an honest president?/ Prime Minister/ Leader?????

I know lots of people who really don’t care if either major party candidate is lying…

Billions around the world who are dominated by the American military machine but cannot vote for president. Millions in American prisons for victimless crimes. Future generations who will pay the bill for our desire to have government provide so many things for us. And CEOs who benefit from govt-business collusion.

Who cares? is not exactly an irrelevant question, but the much bigger question is, what will the winner do about the military-industrial-complex, the American Gulag, and the looming financial crisis govt-business collusion that threaten to destroy all possibilities for future generations? Whether they lie or not, neither major candidate intends to do anything beyond tweaking up or down three of those problems, and nothing at all about the Gulag.

On another thread, someone said a vote for a third party is an irrelevant vote. I would submit that a vote for a major party is an irrelevant vote since they agree on all major issues. You can make a meaningful if symbolic statement against further support for the big four issues just listed by voting Gary Johnson (on the ballot in all states) or a statement against war, anyway, by voting the Green candidate (on the ballot in most states).

I am disappointed that this “elephant journal”,
turned to be a “Liberal wacko” founder” advancing
propaganda !! that is not true !!
so i now know you support a president
that is #1 a racist, #2 socialist, #3 marxist, #4 communist,
my god is this guy waylon Lewis! must be from:
California !! his city probably ” Sanfransicko”!!
( i am not good typing this ! but sombody,
and “all people like me who like yoga, health,
foods, exercise dont smoke! can’t all be like,
this guy Lewis!! please tell me your out,
there ! like me who want a” President”
for gods sake who friends aren’t Dictators,
socialist,marxist, …,
This guy Obama hates who “Mitt Romney” is
successful, white, Business man proven leader,
( Wake up People!! before Obummer,
makes this Country worse than his buddys
country ( dictator “Hugo Chavez”!!!!!! )
PS waylon !!! ( “Liberalism Is A Mental Disorder”!!!! )

Carl !! You sound like assclown!!!
let me give you some good programming to ,
listen to “EL RUSHBO”!!! at the Golden “EIB”
Microphone”!!! ( “EXCELLENCE IN BROADCASTING” )
you might learn something this time !!! :)))

Mark Ledbetter !!
you also sound like another “assclown”!!
I know you can “Read”!!! So digest this !!!!
Are you ready !!
( “ANY VOTE !!!! OTHER THAN ” MITT ROMNEY”!!!!!!
IS A VOTE FOR The “Choom Gang Jackass”!!!!
“OBAMA”!!!! > > a racist, marxist, communist, socialist,
( “understand what the stakes are”!!! YET ?
because i do !!

Hey, Mark S. I’m with you on the liberal bent at this site. Yet I’m here anyway. One reason is this. People here are, much more so than at most sites, respectful of all points of view. I like that, even if philosophically we are often far apart. You may have been rather surprised that no one responded to your earlier posts on this thread. The ideas you present are fine but the tone just doesn’t fit, I’m afraid. Respect for all points of view is the way things tend to work here, and if you don’t have that, you have a high chance of being ignored.

That being said, I won’t ignore you since you have responded directly to me.

I am a constitutionalist. That means I support a decentralized tightly chained extremely low budget government which exists only for the protection of individual rights and protection of the country from attack. The writers of the Constitution disagreed on a number of points but there was one point on which they were in full agreement: standing armies are the greatest threat to the liberties of the people.

Well, you can’t have super small, super low budget decentralized government and large standing armies at the same time. You certainly can’t police the world without standing armies. No standing armies means no foreign bases and no drawn out foreign wars. A vote for either Obama or Romney, though, is a vote for super large standing armies. It is a continuation of large centralized non-constitutional government and the policing of the world. So I vote libertarian, the only constitutionalist party out there.